JOHANNESBURG - Midrand residents have been hit by water outages now stretching into a sixth day.
An electrical failure at a Rand Water facility has left large parts of Gauteng without supply.
On Tuesday, frustrated residents took to the streets in protest, demanding answers after the water cut off last Wednesday.
Businesses in the area have also been impacted, and schools forced to close early, disrupting learning and teaching.
The residents say this is not the first time. In December, they did not have water for more than a week.
A resident who spoke to eNCA said the situation in the area was dire, adding: "We can’t even use the toilet. The houses are dirty, and we can’t bathe. This has been going on for days. I’m coming from work and I still need to queue for taps of water."
The residents slammed Rand Water for failing to provide timeous updates on when the issue would be resolved.
"It’s not fair. Our appeal is for Rand Water to permanently fix the problem. We haven’t had water for days, but the bill will still be the same. They need to do better than this."
In a statement shared on its official X account on Monday, Johannesburg Water said it had seen a slight improvement within the Midrand system.
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"Incoming supply to the Erand Reservoir has commenced, and reservoir levels are slowly increasing. However, current levels are not yet adequate to allow for sustained supply to dependent areas. The President Park Reservoir is also recording limited inflow, with levels remaining low," it said in a statement.
It said water levels continue to be critically low in the Grand Central Reservoir, Rabie Ridge Reservoir and the Diepsloot Reservoir.
Johannesburg Water is expected to meet with residents on Tuesday to update them on the situation.